The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-04-13
NO.. Il.

and those taken were Giles Good, BAILEY
Dowdle, Prindley Thomson, Dan Rob-
erts and Nose Lipscomb. Their identi-
ty was insured by means Of dark Ian
tern with which the party was provided.
As far as can be known, no resistance,
or even outcry, was made by any of the
doomed men. a man whose business
required him to pass near the locality Of
the hanging, saw the crowd approach
ing, and stepping to one side Of the
road, permitted the entiresprocession to
pass without offering any molestation.
He gives the opinion that the victims
were mounted. He could see no one on
foot, and all were proceeding along
leisurely and quietly. He saw the party
not far from the spot selected for the
execution of the deed, g knoll on the
road leading northwest from the jail,
and only short distance from the stone
marking the first mile from the Court
House.
The most interesting scene in an affair
of this kind is supposed to be the bear
ing and demeanor of the fated wretch,
but just here our account Of this one
must be at fault. Wehave not seen any
one who said he was there, nor do We
know whether or not the men bore up
bravely, or whether any words OF con-
fession escaped their lips. 1t is vaguely
whispered, but with how much truth we
cannot tell, that Giles Good was re-
quired to act as the executioner Of his
four comrades, and was then compelled
to tie the knot Of his moose. To this
last requirement he is said to have de-
INJURED, calculating chow the devil do
you expect man to hang himself" "
Again it is said that 10 words were
uttered by any one during the enacting
Of the final scene, further than one Of
them expressed his desire Of the manner
Of adjusting the rope around his neck.
The ropes used were ordinary cotton,
which appear to have been used as ploW
lines.
As soon as it was possible for the
Sheriff to do so, he went to the spot OF
the execution, taking with him two
physicians, but they arrived too Late to
render any assistance to the five limp
bodies they found dangling from the
trees-four from one tree on the east
side OF the road, and the other from the
limb of stout oak hard by on the op-
posite side. Life was found to be ex-
tinct.
The Sheriff caused the bodies to be
cut down Immediately, and on blankets
spread upon the ground, laid them side
by side, under the branches Of the tree
on which four were hanged. Here the
bodies remained until late yesterday
afternoon, when they were removed for
burial. Prindlev Thomson's relatives
took possession of his body and the
body OF Bailey Dowdle was taken posses
sion Of by his father. The other bodies
were buried at the expense of the county.
News Of the lynehing spread over
town rapidly, and from early In the
morning until late in the day, the scene
was visited by throngs Of persons.
The colored people, of course, visited
the dead bodies with no less motives Of
curiosity than the whites; but If they
were disposed to censure the act, they
gave expressions in words to no such
feeling. In a group of colored people,
about noon, was an auntie, who had a
letter written by Mary Thomson, the
mother of Prindley. The letter was
dated March 81, and reads as follows:
''lIY DEAR CHILD: If he has testified
that Giles Good led him into that mur-
dering scrape, do believe it, for he
could lead my child better than conld.
He has objected [preyentedl his mother
from teaching HIM the right way, and
from my chiId's action what made me
believe it he always would mind Giles
Good from ten years old. I could not
correct him. Do, please, if you break
my child's neck, break Giles Goods, too,
for my sake. l dc want to see my child
once more, and if he is hung I do want
his body. MARY THOMSON.
This letter was intended for the Sheriff,
and is key to the bad reputation sus-
tanned in the neighborhood by Giles
Good. He was suspected of being the
chief instigator OF the thieying which led
to the murder.